iCSS delivered NCSC CyberFirst Adventurers Day at Dartford Grammar School for Girls

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On Monday 16th June, from 9:45am until 3:20pm, iCSS (Institute of Cyber Security for Society) at the University of Kent organised a CyberFirst Adventurers Day at the Dartford Grammar School for Girls. This was the second time the University of Kent ran CyberFirst courses as a member of the CyberFirst programme of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC, part of GCHQ), after the first two courses delivered at The Folkestone School for Girls on 6th February 2025. The event was attended by all 180 Year 9 pupils at the hosting school.

CyberFirst Adventurers is a half-day course created by NCSC for Year 9 students. After a general introduction, it engages participants in three interactive sessions: 1) The Data Games, in which participants try to form a champion Quidditch team, 2) Crack the Code, in which participants split into five teams to collectively solve a number of cyber security puzzles, and 3) Digital Design, where participants engage with an online 3D design software to create their 3D stories. The course is designed to showcase the variety of career opportunities that can be achieved through the understanding of how computing technology plays an important role in the workplace and everyday life. It aims to excite and enthuse more school pupils to select GCSE in Computer Science for their future study, potentially leading to a cyber security career in the longer term. The course is designed to counter the stereotype that computer science is just about programming and coding. More about the course can be found at NCSC’s official website at https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/cyberfirst/resources.

The event was organised by iCSS, with support of 16 volunteers including students and staff of the University of Kent and the Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU), local cyber security professionals, and members of KMCS3 (Kent & Medway Cyber Security Student Society) and KMCC (Kent & Medway Cyber Cluster). It is part of the activities of KMCSN (Kent & Medway CyberSchools Network), a local schools network co-founded by iCSS, and The STEM Hub managed by CCCU. Among the 16 volunteers, the following six each leading one parallel CyberFirst Adventurers session from 9:45am to 1:10pm:

  1. Maryam Anwar: UG student, University of Kent & Member, KMCS3
  2. Matthew Boakes: Assistant Lecturer and former UG/PhD student/Research Assistant, University of Kent
  3. Tiffany Campbell: UG student, University of Kent & Vice President for CyberWomen, KMCS3
  4. Virginia Franqueira: Senior Lecturer in Cyber Security & Deputy Director (Education) of iCSS, University of Kent
  5. Zehra Kuru: PGT student, University of Kent & Vice President for PGT Students, KMCS3
  6. Mihai Moraru: UG student, University of Kent & President, KMCS3

The other ten volunteers supported the delivery of the six parallel CyberFirst Adventurers sessions:

  1. Alishba: NCSC CyberFirst Bursary Scheme Holder
  2. Amna Ali: PhD student, CCCU
  3. Madhu Bashini: Senior Information Technology Security Officer, Hammersmith & Fulham Council
  4. Sylvain Genetiaux: Research Intern, University of Kent & PGT Student, ENSICAEN, Caen, France
  5. Saul Guilford: UG student, University of Kent
  6. Darren Hurley-Smith: Senior Lecturer in Cyber Security, University of Kent
  7. Shujun Li: Professor of Cyber Security & Director of iCSS, University of Kent
  8. Christie Ogubere: Principal Cyber Security Consultant, Intex IT
  9. Liam Price: Senior Pentester/Cyber Security Consultant, BSI Group
  10. Snehal Waichal: Administrative Assistant and Member, KMCC

At the end of the CyberFirst Adventurers sessions, all participating pupils received a certificate recognising their participation of the event. After lunch, all pupils participated in a mini-competition of six additional cyber security puzzles. Then, they all came to join a plenary panel discussion with the following six volunteers who shared their individual personal experience and tips on cyber security career: Amna Ali, Madhu Bashini, Tiffany Campbell, Virginia Franqueira, Christie Ogubere and Liam Price. The event concluded with a mini-presentation given by Professor Shujun Li on more cyber security learning activities for pupils, Alishba’s personal experience as an NCSC CyberFirst Bursary Scheme holder, and a prize-giving ceremony which saw the top three performing pupils of the mini-competition receiving certificates and iCSS-branded gifts from Professor Shujun Li.

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The event was a great success. Some participating pupils responded with enthusiasm and excitement:

  • “Generally, a very enjoyable and exciting day! It was interesting to hear other people’s stories and their career paths as well. It was helpful to see the career opportunity.”
  • [On Digital Design] “Amazing, super fun. I would definitely do it again! I loved making my own characters and story online and I found it very engaging.”
  • [On Digital Design] “I liked making a scene and it was fun to experiment with all the features and codes.”
  • [On Digital Design] “Super fun — we all loved it!”
  • [On Crack the Code] “It was my favourite part of the day, and I liked trying to use the decipher wheel.”
  • [On Crack the Code] “The best bits of the session were uncracking the questions — it was engaging.”
  • [On Data Games] “I like how we got into groups and looked for the best players.”

Professor Shujun Li, iCSS Director who also leads the operation of KMCSN and the cyber skills development activities of KMCC, said: “This event is the largest CyberFirst and school outreach event we have organised so far. We thank the Dartford Grammar School for Girls to offer us such a brilliant opportunity to serve their 180 pupils on such a colourful day! We were very glad to see participating pupils enjoyed the day and we look forward to organising more such events for more schools and pupils in the future.”

Dr Virginia Franqueira, iCSS Deputy Director (Education) and one of the panellists who shared their career experience and tips, said: “As the largest school outreach event we have ever organised, it involved a substantial logistic operation with a lot of efforts of the 16 volunteers who made this Day possible. We want to say a big ‘thank you’ to all of them! It was a full day of activities keeping everyone busy. It was a pleasure to see the high level of engagement and excitement of the girls throughout the day!”

The other five panellists of the cyber security career experience sharing panel discussion also had their says for the Day:

  • Amna Ali said: “It was inspiring to see how enthusiastic and curious the girls were throughout the day. Opportunities like these are so important for sparking interest and building confidence in computing from an early stage. I’m proud to have been part of the discussion panel to share my story and maybe inspire a few young girls to see themselves in this field.”
  • Madhu Bashini said: “Volunteering at the CyberFirst Adventurers event at Dartford Grammar School for Girls was an energising blend of tech, teamwork, and creativity. After spending years immersed in cyber, I’ve always believed that the technology education becomes meaningful when paired with storytelling, comics or visual analogies. It was incredible to see students dive into interactive puzzles and challenges—learning through play and problem-solving in a way that truly brought cybersecurity to life.”
  • Tiffany Campbell said: “The girls were incredibly engaged and curious as they explored a range of roles in technology, discovering how their existing skills are transferable. Their enthusiasm and ambition at such a young age give me confidence that many of them will go on to shape the future of the technology sector.”
  • Christie Ogubere said: “It was my honour to be invited to Dartford Grammar School for Girls to take part in the CyberFirst Trailblazers and Adventurers courses, delivered by KMCC. The course was run using the NCSC’s official training materials and it was a fantastic experience from start to finish. The sessions were engaging, informative, and really sparked interest among the students. It was great to see how much the girls enjoyed the activities and how confident they became in exploring cybersecurity concepts. The success of this pilot has shown just how valuable these opportunities are, and I am excited to see how KMCC continues to grow and inspire future participants.”
  • Liam Price said: “It was a privilege to support the NCSC CyberFirst Adventurers event at Dartford Grammar School for Girls, especially as someone who grew up nearby. It meant a lot to return to the area and talk to students about careers in cybersecurity. The event highlighted how many exciting opportunities now exist for young people to explore the cyber industry, and how important events like CyberFirst are in promoting it to the next generation, which is something that I would have benefited when I was their age. It was great to see so much enthusiasm and engagement from the students.”

Nithyakalyani Chinnaiah, Curriculum Area Leader for Computer Science at the Dartford Grammar School for Girls, said “We were delighted to take our 180 Year 9 students to the CyberFirst Adventurers Day, hosted by the University of Kent as part of the NCSC’s outreach programme. The day provided an engaging introduction to the world of cyber security through creative and practical activities. These opportunities reflect our commitment to empowering young women through Computing, building their confidence, curiosity, and ambition in a fast-changing digital landscape. We look forward to continuing our involvement in national initiatives like CyberFirst, ensuring that every student has the chance to explore and achieve their personal potential — both in and beyond the classroom.”

The University of Kent is a UK Government recognised Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Education (ACE-CSE) with Gold award status (2023-29) and an Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research (ACE-CSR) (2015-17, 2018-23, 2024-29), among only eight UK universities with such double recognitions. The University was also named the ‘Cyber University of the Year’ of the inaugural Real Cyber Awards 2023, due to its active profile in all areas of cyber security especially its wider impact and engagement activities. Cyber security activities of the University in all areas are coordinated by iCSS (Institute of Cyber Security for Society), a university-wide and interdisciplinary institute.

KMCSN (Kent & Medway CyberSchools Network) is a local schools network on cyber skills development co-founded in 2023 by iCSS, KMCC (Kent & Medway Cyber Cluster Ltd) and The STEM Hub managed by the Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU). It welcomes more local schools and teachers to join as organisational and individual members to co-develop cyber skills development activities for pupils in Kent and Medway. KMCSN is currently managed by the iCSS Director Professor Shujun Li, who can be reached via kmcsn-admin@kent.ac.uk.

KMCS3 (Kent & Medway Cyber Security Student Society) was founded in 2023 as a student-facing society for engaging and supporting students studying at the University of Kent who are interested in cyber security, online safety and other broadly related topics. KMCS3 is affiliated with iCSS and has the ambition to become an independently registered not-for-profit body representing all university students who are living or studying in the Kent and Medway region and interested in cyber security. KMCS3 leaders can be reached via kmcs3-leaders@kent.ac.uk.

KMCC (Kent & Medway Cyber Cluster) is a local cyber security community building organisation, and it is the local cyber security cluster representing the Kent and Medway region as recognised by UKC3 (UK Cyber Cluster Collaboration). KMCC’s main aim is to develop the local cyber security ecosystem across Kent and Medway. It focusses on the following three areas of activities: community building, collaboration facilitation and skills development. It aims to work closely with a range of partners and stakeholders such as local authorities and national public bodies, local and national businesses, local higher education institutions (HEIs) and schools. Nationally, KMCC works closely with UKC3 and other local/regional cyber security clusters to contribute to the development of the cyber security ecosystem throughout the UK.

Dartford Grammar School for Girls (DGGS) is a high-achieving and forward-thinking school where students are supported to thrive both academically and personally. Working together to achieve academic excellence and personal potential is the foundation of the DGGS community, and DGGS is actively promoting the core values of Respect, Responsibility, Excellence, Dedication and Creativity in all aspects of school life. DGGS’s Computing department is a vibrant and ambitious part of this vision, offering a curriculum and enrichment programme that develops technical knowledge, digital confidence, and a love of learning. Beyond the classroom, students at DGSG regularly take part in national competitions and experiences that build their problem-solving, resilience, and collaboration skills. In addition to attending the CyberFirst Adventurers Day, DGGS pupils have also taken part in other similar activities, e.g., the UK Bebras Computing Challenge with all year groups, encouraging students from Years 7 to 13 to develop their computational thinking through logic-based puzzles and time-bound challenges.